The best novels of any genre are the ones that transcend the genre. They have the power to capture the attention of readers not only who are fans of the genre but also those who would not typically read that particular genre.

That is true of the best romance novels out there. They can hook even those readers who wouldn't typically pick up a romance novel and keep the reader coming back for more books by that author and similar authors.

One of the best authors for doing just that is Jennifer Crusie. There is a reason why she is a bestselling author. She has a knack for creating memorable and truly likeable characters and a gift for putting those characters into a variety of unusual and often hilarious situations.

What are some of Crusie's best romance novels that will convert even many diehard non-romance readers?

Don't Look Down: This was Crusie's first collaboration with Bob Mayer. Romance, comedy, action and adventure combine in this tale of Wonder Woman-like television director Lucy Armstrong who gets roped into helping finish up a movie that her unscrupulous ex-husband is stunt coordinator on. Given that there are some bad things going on at the set, it's a good thing that Green Beret J.T. Wilder shows up after having gotten recruited to be a stuntman for the likeable but not very bright lead man.

Agnes and the Hitman: Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer's second collaboration. This is a hilarious romantic-comedy that starts out with an attempted dognapping and leads to a dead body in a cranky food columnist's basement. Toss in a hitman, some mafia, a wedding, a bit of sabotage, some excellent food, and a number of other elements and you get one wild ride as Agnes (the food columnist), Shane (the hitman) and their friends and family race to put together a wedding and stop a hit.

Faking It: Family secrets and trying to change who you were born to be are a couple of the themes in this romantic-comedic tale of the Goodnights, a family that has been in the art business for generations, and the Dempseys (most specifically, Davy) who tend toward running cons.

After part of the family secret is accidentally sold by niece Nadine, Matilda Goodnight has to resort to a little breaking-and-entering to try to recover the evidence. This leads to a literal collision in a dark closet with reformed con man Davy who is there trying to recover $3 million that his financial manager liberated from him. This literal collision is the start of a wild and funny tale as the pair and the rest of the crew (including Matilda's eccentric family) go through a series of schemes, scams and various maneuvers of questionable legality and morality as they try to fix things.

Another author that can draw in even a non-romance reader is Claire Cook. Reading her book Summer Blowout is almost guaranteed to hook both romance fans and non-fans alike.

Who could resist Bella Shaughnessy's zany clan? Her Italiophile father who is in love all things Italian (with the exception, of course, being Bella's mother) and even went to give all of his children (by three different marriages) Italian first names to go with their very definitively Irish surname? The pup that ends up with Bella and gets a new name and a dye job to create a new identity in what is almost a witness-protection-style scenario?

These are just two of the authors who create some of the best romance novels out there. However, they are two who are almost certain to get even non-romance readers (such as myself) hooked.

Learn more about this author, HM Wilson.
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